HISTORY: No. 38 Women’s Tennis Records the College’s First Head-to-Head NCAA Tournament Win

Women's Tennis | 5/2/2015 12:00:00 AM

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Goldey-Beacom 38th-ranked women's tennis team knew it had a chance to do something no one else in the College's 129-year history has accomplished. In just under three hours, the job was complete.

GBC won four singles points to overcome an early deficit and upended No. 34 Chestnut Hill, 5-3, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to post the College's first head-to-head victory in the tournament in any sport.

The Lightning (18-4) extended their own school record for most victories in a season and advanced to the round of 32 against No. 10 New York Tech on Sunday at 11:00 am. Like today's match, it also will be played in Brookville, NY on the campus of LIU Post (formerly C.W. Post).

The winner of Sunday's match advances to the "Sweet 16" in Surprise, AZ, where the last four rounds of the championship will be competed.

Goldey's Beacom's men's golf team won the NCAA East/Atlantic Regional in 2006 for the College's first NCAA victory, making today the first such triumph in a dual competition. It also marks the school's first head-to-head victory in a postseason contest since the men's soccer team went to the 2003 ECAC final.

Goldey-Beacom got things rolling in third doubles when senior Filipa Correia (Monte Estoril, Portugal) and sophomore Maria Victoria (Totana, Spain) rolled to an 8-0 victory. But Chestnut Hill grabbed a 2-1 lead when Iman Williams-Mulesa and Lara Scholtze notched an 8-3 triumph at No. 2 doubles over senior Stephanie Puentes Robinson (Bogota, Colombia) and sophomore Amina Mrad (Berlin, Germany) before Laure-Anna Josse and Charlotte Dawson got an 8-5 win at first doubles over freshmen Laura Moreno (Murcia, Spain) and Julia Gutierrez (Quart, Spain).

Mrad continued her red-hot play, moving to 3-0 against the Griffins this season with a 6-0, 6-0 win at fifth singles over Axe Owens for a 2-2 deadlock in the best-of-nine tie. Moreno gave GBC the lead with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Josse at first singles and Gutierrez had no trouble with Williams-Mulesa, improving to 3-0 over its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foe with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles.

Dawson then upended Victoria, 6-3, 6-1, at second singles to move the Griffins within 4-3. The Lightning now needed just one more point to win the historic tie and it was sophomore Francesca Beg (Westbury, England) who will be remembered as the one who delivered the knockout punch. Beg received a battle from Hannah Hills at sixth singles before getting the 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) win to give GBC its third victory over Chestnut Hill (16-9) this season in as many tries.

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Players Mentioned

Filipa Correia: 5' 6"; Senior

Stephanie Puentes Robinson: 5' 1"; Senior

Maria Victoria: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Francesca Beg: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Julia Gutierrez: 5' 7"; Freshman

Amina Mrad: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Laura Moreno: 5' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Filipa Correia
: 5' 6"; Senior

Stephanie Puentes Robinson
: 5' 1"; Senior

Maria Victoria
: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Francesca Beg
: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Julia Gutierrez
: 5' 7"; Freshman

Amina Mrad
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Laura Moreno
: 5' 5"; Freshman